Improvement in brick-machines



lUNITED STATES JAMES WARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO VHIMSELF AND PATENT, OFFICE.

ISAAO F. HUNNEVELL, OF SAME PLACE.

lMPROVEMENT IN BRICK-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 36.690., dated October 14, 1862 To all whom it may concer-7L:

Be it known that I, JAMES WARD, of Boston,

iu the county of Suffolk and State of Massa-- chusetts, have invented an Improved Brick Machine; and 1 do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specifica tion, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which- Fgure lisa top view; Fig. 2, an end elevati'on; Fig. 3, a central and vertical section; Fig. 4, a side view of one of the inclines or eccentrics for raising and depressing the sliding bottom of the brickmatrices. Fig. 5 is a side view of one of the sliding bottoms of such matrices.

The object of my invention is to produce a simple and efficient machine which will mold the clay` in a comparatively dry state, so as to make what are technically called pressed brick.77 Y

In the drawings, A denotes a rect-angular frame, which is supported upon two anglesby means of four wheels, B B B B. On the top plate of the said frame, and near its center, a circular table, C, is firmly secured by means of screws, or in any other suitable manner.

D is the pug-mill, which is arranged on one side of the machine E, being the hopper thereof. The front end of the said mill is supported by an arched frame, F, extended upward from the fra-me A and secured thereto, as seen in the drawings, the rear portion being supported bya plate or bar, IV, extending upward from the circular table O. The said pug-mill is ofa rectangular shape, and has two shafts, G H, extending horizontally through the lower part of the frame and carrying two large drums orrollers, I I, which serve not only to pulverize or reduce the clay, but also to crowd and compress such clay into the molds. On each of the outer ends of the shafts G H there are gear-wheels K K', which mesh into each other, and beside the said gear K engages with a pinion, L, which in its turn engages with a large pinion, M, carried by a shaft, N, which is supported by the frame A. The said shaft N carries a small pinion, O, which operatesin conjunction with an endless rack, U, disposed as seen in Fig. 6, which is an under side view showing the rack and pinion.

P is a circular matrix plate or bed, which is arranged horizontally and has its lower edges resting on the top of the fra-me A. The

`top surface ofthe said plate P should come up iiush with the lower surface ofthe grinding and compressing rollers I I. Furthermore, the said bed-plate has two concentric rows of bricknlatrices, Q Q Q, 85e., formed vertically through it, each ofwhich is rectangular in crosssection and'of the size of the bricks to be molded. Each ofthe said matrices is provided with a sliding bottom, R R It, Src., a side view of one of which is given in Fig. 5. The said plungers or sliding bottoms are each formed with a slot, b, in its lower end. which is made to straddle a circular stationary rail, S or S', having two flanges extending from it on opposite sides. The legs O O of each of the sliding bottoms are so formed as to extend underneath each of the flanges; and, furthermore, the said flanges are formed as inclines, so as to properly guide the plungers in their vertical movements-that is, so that they shall be at their lowest point of depression when the matrices come directly under the rollers I I, and shall be at their highest elevation or iiush with the top of the bed-plate for about sixty degrees in a direction opposite to thatof the mill, the same being for the purpose of allowing the brick to be taken from the table. The inner row of matrices is formed like the outer one, and has its plungers made in like manner and applied to the stationary rail S', so as to operate like them, the said rail being formed with flanges, and with inclines like th ose ofthe rail S. T is the striker or smoother, which serves to strike off the surplus amount of clay'and smoothen the tops of' the bricks, the same being arranged on one side of the mill, as seen in the drawings.

Having described the construction of my machine, I will describe its operation. l

If we suppose the driving-shaft G to be put in rotation by any suitable motor, the train of gears K, K', L, and M will be put in revolu tion, and will not only impart motion to the reducing and pressing rollers I I, but to the shaft N, which carries the pinion O. Such pinion engaging with the endless rack U will givey a continuous rotary motion to the circular matrix or wheel P, whereby each of the ma- -removes the surplus clay from them and smoothens the top of the clay in such molds. The molded bricksbeing carried forward by the rotation of the bed or matrix plate, are forced up out of their matrices by means of their plungers or sliding bottoms acting upon the inclines or eccentric rails S S', and remain on a horizontal line with the bed for about onethird of the circle of revolution. The bricks must be taken away during their passage gin to approach toward the mili again, the in'- clines cause such sliding bottoms to gradually fall until again near the mill, where they will have reached their lowest point of depression,

when, should they-be empty, they will be again iiiled and operate as before.

Ido not claim the invention as shown and described in the application of Valdron Beach, Withdrawn April l0, 1841; nor do I that as shown and claimed in Patent No. 23,892; but

Vha-t I claim is- The arrangement of the pulverizing and pressing rollers I I, in combination with the revolving series of molds, when geared and operated conjointiy, in the manner and for the purpose specied.

J AMES WARD. Witnesses:

F. P. HALE, J r.,

Isaac F. HUNNEWELL. 

